There have been so many things I’ve wanted to share, like the New York Times article exposing how much our poor wallets are exploited for buying simple gfree items or how Twitter has become an invaluable resource for finding local gluten free goodies. But, my friends, what I am going to share tonight is short and sweet: I.FOUND.GOOD.PIZZA.

Yes, you heard me right. I had a pizza night – and not a “have to go and pick it up myself and pay double the price of normal pizza” pizza night. Belly’s Pizza of Roswell provides an unexpected joy to those people eating gluten free in the Roswell area. Granted, Jay and I live in Decatur, but both of our families live in Roswell, so we make frequent visits.

First round of ordering (the deliver to a limited areas): I ordered a classic cheese, because, well, I am a purist (boring) when it comes to pizza. They went a little heavy on the cheese, which ultimately was too heavy for the very thin crust to support. I was just pumped to be eating something that reminded me of my gluten days, but I wasn’t in love.

That was, until the second round of ordering. My mother-in-law surprised me and my fellow gfree sister-in-law with a pizza night the following week. What made all the difference? She ordered the white pizza, covered in garlic and lighter cheeses. It was delicious and crispy. It must be the lack of marinara sauce that makes the texture so much better. I could have eaten the whole pie, but unfortunately I had to share :(

A couple minor cons: You can only order a small gfree pizza, making sharing hard. Secondly, the to-go box for their small pizzas are very thin, which don’t provide much support for the delicate pizzas.

If you are in the Roswell area – go give this independent chain a try!

So, at the wedding of a dear friend, I tried again. Well I am happy to say it was a sucess, but only with some great gfree options that were available. When throwing a party, you should consider having this really great and creative dessert on hand in case there might be anyone watching their gluten intake.

I introduce to you, the chocolate dessert shell!

There are really great sites that can teach you how to make your own….but, you can also cheat a little and find them at your specialty grocer. Before even going gluten free, I love how customizable they were. I once made a white chocolate hazelnut mousse (I will have to find that and share!) and topped it with fresh berries. You could also add ice cream or peanut butter – really, anything can go in these little suckers.

So, no wedding cake, but life is all about compromises, right? (and by that I mean I stuffed about 5 little chocolate cups into my mouth as fast as I could :) ).

I have been dying to have the time to write about our dinner at Shaun’s last weekend!

Once I found out that the quaint Inman Park restaurant was serving a four course fix prixe GLUTEN FREE menu, reservations were promptly made.

It is no secret that Jay and I love to eat great food, so we were both pretty excited about a good, old fashioned date night to a new spot with a promising menu. I put on a cute summer dress and we headed down Dekalb Avenue to Shaun’s.

Opting to sit outside, the atmosphere was intimate. The weather was definitely on our side, albeit a bit warm (all the more reason to order a delicious bottle of crisply chilled white wine!).

The night unfolded into an evening of great food, great service and just an all around great date night! Our waiter was knowledgeable, charming and enthusiastic about the GF menu. He informed us that Chef/Owner Shaun Doty hand selected all the ingredients for the entire menu. How cool is that?

After rushing over our bottle of wine (fresh in from Santorini), the first course was revealed. The local and organic tomatoes in the panzanella were extremely refreshing and a great start to the meal. I don’t love gluten free bread yet, so I am not sure I truly appreciated the focaccia in the salad. It was shortly followed by a warm sweet corn soup and butter poached lobster. If I were sitting inside in the AC I probably would have enjoyed this course more, but it was still a great predecessor to the main course: a grass-fed sirloin. Thinking that it was not going to be that interesting, this was actually my favorite part of the meal! Perfectly seared, the steak was incredibly juicy and flavorful. It was accompanied by a ‘stuffed’ onion. Steak. Onions. It was all good. Dessert was a tangy orange and cream soda float (what a great idea!).

More than how great the food and service was, I truly enjoyed getting to go to a restaurant and feel catered to. I didn’t have to ask a million questions or get looked at like I had a plague. I got to simply enjoy dinner and be low maintenance.

So, thank you Shaun’s for being sensitive to an increasingly growing disease. I will be back!

Interesting post from one of my favorite ‘fun’ blogs. What I found interesting was their answer to Celiac’s rise in popularity – the environment. I do believe we, as a race, have really been screwing with our bodies by consuming pesticides and modified foods. Here’s my question though: how do you feel about modified foods that are gluten free (i.e. the examples below)?

Have you noticed the plethora of gluten-free foods on the shelves of your local grocery store — pastas, cereals, baking mixes, and more. For folks suffering from celiac disease, a gluten allergy, these foods are vital to their daily diet, and according to a study by the Mayo Clinic, celiac disease is four times more common today than it was in the 1950s. It’s estimated that one in every 133 people has celiac disease.

Allergies to gluten, the protein in wheat, rye, barley, and possibly oats, create a wide variety of symptoms including: painful stomach cramps, bloating, gas, increased appetite (due to malabsorption of nutrients), weight loss, fatigue, constipation, or diarrhea. Not only that but eating these foods causes damage to the villi in the intestines, affecting the body’s ability to absorb nutrients properly. It can also be fatal, so it’s really important to avoid gluten-filled foods if you’re allergic.

I do love a good date night (AKA a great excuse to eat really fabulous food) and Shaun’s Restaurant in historic Inman Park has been on my list for awhile now. Much to my happiness, the gluten free stars have aligned and this weekend Shaun’s is offering a gluten free menu!

Please look at this prix fixe menu!

appetizer
local and organic tomato panzanella with gluten-free foccacia

intermezzo
riverview farms corn soup, butter poached lobster

entrée
grass-fed free range sirloin, stuffed vidalia onion, cumin

dessert
vanilla soda float with orange campari sorbet

Um, delicious! The price is $45 dollars per person (which, OK, might be a little steep for just a night out, but it includes wine pairing!). Make your reservations today, I know I am!